At the time of his death in 1995, Georges Canguilhem was a highly respected historian of science and medicine, whose engagement with questions of normality, the ideologization of scientific thought, and the conceptual history of biology had marked the thought of philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Louis Althusser, Pierre Bourdieu, and Gilles Deleuze. This collection of short, incisive, and highly accessible essays on the major concepts of modern medicine shows Canguilhem at the peak of his use of historical practice for philosophical engagement. In order to elaborate a philosophy of medicine, Canguilhem examines paramount problems such as the definition and uses of health, the decline of the Hippocratic understanding of nature, the experience of disease, the limits of psychology in medicine, myths and realities of therapeutic practices, the difference between cure and healing, the organism's self-regulation, and medical metaphors linking the organism to society. Writings on Medicine is at once an excellent introduction to Canguilhem's work and a forceful, insightful, and accessible engagement with elemental concepts in medicine. The book is certain to leave its imprint on anthropology, history, philosophy, bioethics, and the social studies of medicine.

This is the captivating story of centenarian Dr. Gladys Taylor McGarey, the Mother of Holistic Medicine, as she takes us on her personal journey to evolve her own paradigm shift into Living Medicine. Filled with wisdom derived both from and for her physician colleagues and patients, this book serves as an introduction as well as a guide to what it takes to create true healing and individualized well-being. Dr. Gladys has long been a medical visionary and pioneer. It's no coincidence that her vision led her to cofound the American Holistic Medical Association over forty years ago. Out of her personal experience and understanding that life and love are the true teachers and healers, Dr. Gladys has once again given birth to medicine's next evolution--Living Medicine. She helps the reader glean the roots of medicine's past and glimpse what's possible in its future from the perspective of practicing her craft for over eighty years. She teaches us what it means to "age into health" and shows us--by example--how to do it. Those who read the first edition of this book, which is truly her signature work, will likely be surprised and amazed by how much she has grown since then. Don't miss this opportunity to grow along with her on this journey and get a taste of what's to come in this field. To heal the broken disease-care system we now have in medicine requires the wisdom and experience of teachers like Dr. Gladys. Aspiring young medical students, as well as residents across all medical specialties, will do well to heed her wisdom as they embark on their unique and individual career paths. Readers of all ages, nationalities, faiths, and creeds will find this fascinating book hard to put down. Lives will be changed as a result, just like "once you've seen the cow's face in the ink blot, you can never go back and not see it." Reading this book will leave you inspired and looking forward to whatever Dr. Gladys does and discovers as she begins her next one hundred years!

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The story of modern medicine and bioethics—and, indeed, race relations—is refracted beautifully, and movingly.”—Entertainment Weekly NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM HBO® STARRING OPRAH WINFREY AND ROSE BYRNE • ONE OF THE “MOST INFLUENTIAL” (CNN), “DEFINING” (LITHUB), AND “BEST” (THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER) BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF ESSENCE’S 50 MOST IMPACTFUL BLACK BOOKS OF THE PAST 50 YEARS • WINNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR NONFICTION NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Entertainment Weekly • O: The Oprah Magazine • NPR • Financial Times • New York • Independent (U.K.) • Times (U.K.) • Publishers Weekly • Library Journal • Kirkus Reviews • Booklist • Globe and Mail Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine: The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, which are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah. Deborah was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Had they killed her to harvest her cells? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance? Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

Born To Heal takes you from the mystical green jungles to the overwhelming crush of humanity in India's crowded cities to the stark beauty of Arizona's high desert where McGarey follows one woman's haunting quest for spiritual and professional growth.

This volume is an effort to prepare medical students for the medical profession--for the reality that qualification is only the beginning of an exciting but difficult career. Career guidance has never been more necessary for medical students and junior doctors, as competition for the more senior posts intensifies and financial and clinical accountability take higher priority. The author considers in detail the professional qualifications and personal attributes required to enter, and survive in, each of the medical specialties. Included are facts and figures relating to entry into General Practice and other community hospital based specialties, and chapters dealing with basic training programs and research, at home and abroad. Minority interests are also addressed, with sections describing career opportunities for doctors in medical administration, science, industry, the armed forces, and journalism. Finally, the author considers the ethical dilemmas and personal stresses, and the opportunities for fulfillment that are inseparable from a medical career. This personal and supportive book, enhanced by the wry and humorous cartoons of David Langdon, is based on many years involvement with the career aspirations of medical students and junior doctors.

Written by a medical doctor, a naturopath, and a registered pharmacist, Smart Medicine for Healthier Living is a complete A-to-Z guide to the most common disorders and their treatments, using both alternative care and conventional medicine. Comprehensive and easy-to-follow, Smart Medicine for Healthier Living is divided into three parts. Part one explains the full spectrum of approaches used to effectively treat common health problems. It provides an overview of the history, fundamentals, and uses of conventional medicine, herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupressure, aromatherapy, diet, and nutritional supplements. It also includes a helpful section on home and personal safety. Part two contains a comprehensive A-to-Z listing of various health problems. Each entry clearly explains the problem and offers specific advice using a variety of approaches. Part three provides step-by-step guidance on using the many therapies and procedures suggested for each health problem. Smart Medicine for Healthier Living is a reliable source that you and your family can turn to time and time again, whenever the need arises.